GPS World, October 2017

WATCH MARKET UAV 2 Sharper Shape SkySkopes String Transmission Lines Using Drones A pair of companies is using unmanned aircraft systems UAS for powerline construction Sharper Shape a drone based automated inspection provider and SkySkopes a professional UAS flight operator took on a project in cooperation with an investor owned utility The mission used the Sharper A6 UAS to string sock lines for a 675 kilovolt line construction project Sock pulling the act of flying a strong and lightweight rope and attaching it to the towers is typically performed via helicopters or by workers climbing the towers Both these methods involve risk to both helicopter pilots and ground crews The use of UAS is eliminating the previously complex process consisting of several steps of reattaching the rope and decreasing the risk of injury for people involved The mission highlighted how UAS are a safe and effective option for many applications in the utility industry beyond basic inspections according to Matt Dunlevy CEO and president of SkySkopes This is a great proof of concept for unmanned aircraft because we proved that they can string both the outboard lines and the center line through the middle of the center phase of a tower Dunlevy said There are risks associated with both helicopter and tower climbing methods Now there is another option as proven by Sharper Shape and SkySkopes When the utility first reached out there were lots of unknowns said Paul Frey director electric utilities for Sharper Shape Working as a team we pulled together developing a test plan and executing the flights The team modified a heavy lift small UAS to carry line and then ran five test flights to test objectives related to pulling the line through each of the tower phases and setting the line on the center pulley SkySkopes pilots are trained for difficult missions often flying advanced heavy lift multi rotor aircraft with precision where autonomy is impractical OCTOBER 2017 WWW GPSWORLD COM GPS WORLD 39

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